The Beast Within
by Soul Stealer 2K4
Summary: Danny managed to stuff a meat ball in Sam’s mouth while she was busy scolding Tucker for prodding her. “I… I…” Her face soon fell. “I’m gonna be sick…” Rated for nudity and language DXS
1. The Beast Within

**The Beast Within**

11 PM

Friday night.

He'd been running for hours.

So had the beast he'd been chasing all this time.

That hulking great creature seemed to have limitless energy.

He stopped for a minute to catch his breath and leaned against a lamppost, basking in the florescent light. He watched the beast run onwards into the distance until he couldn't see it anymore. A long exhausted sigh left his mouth and he wiped the masses of sweat from his face. How the hell did that damn great thing move so quickly? In the animal kingdom the bigger they are, the slower they run, but as a result they made up for it in strength. As with all things in life though, there were exceptions to the rule.

The minor details were irrelevant; the important part was how that black bear always appeared pretty much out of thin air, almost every time it was in school. Eyes tightly closed, he thought back to how and when all this started. The ghost attack by Skulker… no, it was before that. When Tucker got stuffed into his own locker for the third time in one day… no, it was before that too. That's when it hit him; this whole thing sparked up almost five days ago, not long after _the incident _at school. He racked his brain, trying desperately to remind himself of the exact events of that day…

**_FLASHBACK – MONDAY LUNCHTIME_**

_Danny sat at his usual lunch table, with his usual friends, listening – once again – to their usual argument. Not a single day went by that this fight didn't fire up, unless one of them was ill or too busy thinking about exams or something stressful going on at home, at which point the innocent blue-eyed bystander would actually start to miss the continuity._

"_Aw, c'mon Sam, why you always gotta start up with this?" Tucker moaned._

"_Because it's sick that's why! Eating the carcass of a helpless animal, it's just… ewww," Sam shuddered with disgust._

"_Have you ever tasted meat, Sam?" Danny asked._

_The three friends fell instantly silent. It's true, as far as the situation went Sam had **always** preached a life of strict vegetarianism, no one had ever seen her eat any meat or meat bi-products in all her life. Her face turned red out of embarrassment. Maybe it was time she told them…_

"_Um… I don't think I have, no," She mumbled. "Ever since I was a kid, meat always smelt so foul, especially when my mom tried to force it down my throat."_

"_No wonder you're so Goth and unhappy. You've never eaten meat!" Tucker yelled, and proceeded to poke her with a small piece of meatloaf on a fork._

"_Ew, Tuck! Quit touching me with that! Tucker quit it! I'm gonna hit you so hard! Tuck will you-"_

_Here she was silenced when Danny managed to stuff a meat ball in Sam's mouth while she was busy scolding Tucker for prodding her. Slowly, as if it were a delicate meringue, she sent her taste buds on a wild journey they'd obviously never been on before. The flavour of dead, cafeteria grade beef remained on her lips even after she swallowed it. Circles of lilac were reduced to a mere dot._

"_So…?"_

_The two boys eagerly awaited her reaction. Tucker was had the rights to the biggest, loudest I-told-you-so in the history of the world. He had shattered a vegetarian and brought her over to the carnivore side of the species. And best of all, she appeared to be smiling…_

"_I… I…" Her face soon fell. "I'm gonna be sick…"_

"_Well it was nice while it lasted…" Tuck sighed and slid down his chair in disappointment._

"_I think I'll go and see if she's OK," Danny got up and walked in the direction of the girl's bathroom. _

_He could hear the rhythm of her throat opening and closing as she retched up everything eaten in the last two days. If there was one thing that really scared Danny – and let's face it, a kid who fights ghosts can't be frightened of much – it was the sound of someone vomiting, and if he knew that someone, it scared him even more. He stood by the door, waiting for her like a guard dog protecting the family house. It wasn't long before Sam had ejected 48 hours of vegetarian diet, and the awful sound finally finished. He tapped on the door, as if to assure her he was there._

"_Sam, did you want me to fly you home?"_

_That's when he saw it. A giant black grizzly bear and boy did it looked pissed off…_

_**END FLASHBACK**_

It was official, he'd lost track of the beast. Blast it! That large furry nuisance had caused quite a stir, it messed up the school and now it was running loose through town, but the Amity Zoo hadn't reported a black bear escaping, in fact they didn't even _have _a black bear. He imagined they'd have their hands full with rarer species like that Purple-backed Gorilla that Sam was so obsessed about freeing.

No more breathers, he had to find and catch that animal before it got into even more trouble.

He took to the sky, his legs dissolving into one long vapour tail. Strange how he felt like running after it when it would've been easier from the start if he just flew. Where was it going, what was its purpose, why was it just running around breaking things? Surely it had something better to do. Again he raided through his thoughts attempting to crack the reason for the weird behaviour of the mysterious brute…

**_FLASHBACK – TUESDAY AFTERNOON_**

_Sam was at home, sick. Danny felt guilty because it was him who made her ill. Tucker had tried over and over to make him feel better, saying that even if Danny hadn't made her eat the meat, he himself probably would have, since he was the one who nudged her and annoyed her with meatloaf on a fork._

_It didn't help._

_They sat in study hall, not doing much, just doodling and waiting for Mr. Lancer to show up and supervise the group of twenty or more students getting rowdier by the minute. Dash and his football buddies were a few rows behind them, laughing about something stupid no doubt. Tucker was eyeballing a flock of pretty girls a couple of seats away._

"_Wuthering Heights, someone call animal control!" The entire class piled out of the room to watch the balding teacher run though the corridor._

_A loud holler erupted from the belly of an aggravated dark-haired creature. It stood at a monstrous 10ft tall, its thick set fur drenched and powerful vice-like jaws baring blood-stained fangs as a testament to what it had been doing. With the student body and teachers vacating the school in a huge flurry of panic, Danny freely reverted into his ghost form, but the bear was clearly uninterested and clumsily trundled past him, throwing its bulky form through the window._

"_Tucker, go to the pool and see if there's anything out of place,"_

"_Gotcha," He knew what that really meant; he too saw the blood on the bear's muzzle and its soaking wet body, and it didn't take a genius to put two and two together._

_Danny watched his friend leave and instantly went after the creature. He peered out of the broken window; heaps of shattered glass and even more blood were splattered on the ground below. He saw it limping away, every step it took caused more plasma to squirt out of the cut on its leg. Flying alongside it, he tried to get it to stop without hurting it further. But the beast refused to comply; it growled and slammed into Danny with all its might, forcing the consistent Halfa down._

_It stared down into his green eyes and angrily roared leaving a shower of red fluid sprayed all over his dazed face before it bolted…_

_**END FLASHBACK**_

The hapless victim of this rogue mutt turned out to Chelsea Faulkner, said to be this year's valedictorian from the graduating class of Seniors. Her mutilated corpse was discovered by an unfortunate freshman with a weak stomach. By the time Tucker showed up at the poolside there were two bodies waiting for him, the worst of which allowed chlorine to blend with human gore. He and the freshman were both admitted to the infirmary for trauma induced system shutdown.

Despite its injuries, it never once stopped running, not on Tuesday and certainly not tonight.

There was something very peculiar about that bear. Most grizzlies were brown and had hazel eyes to match, but this grizzly was black all over with almost neon yellow orbs that cut into his very soul the same way his green ones did the first time he ever saw them. Such unusual qualities and colourings explained why Skulker had come after it also…

**_FLASHBACK – WEDNESDAY NIGHT_**

_Danny lurked in the shrubs. The raven furred mammal padded around the fountain in the park. He inched closer, step by step, watching his 'prey' like a lion in the jungle. It hadn't noticed his presence yet, simply lapping up the cool water that sparkled in the moonlight. The Fenton Fisher poised to fire he peeked between the branches of the hedge he was hiding in. He crouched down and almost pressed the button to release the extra-strength fishing line… _

"_No, not yet," A rugged yet echoed voice whispered._

"_Why not, I mean- AHH!" Danny yelled when he saw the culprit. Frightened by the sudden noise, his large target made a run for it and soon was out of sight. "Oh, thanks a lot Skulker, what the hell do you want?"_

"_I'm not here for you Ghost child, at least, not this time," He smirked evilly. "No, I came here to get that critter, and now the hunt begins."_

_The armoured ghost was about to fly off in the direction of the bear, but was halted instantly by an ectoplasmic wallop, shooting him to the floor. His nervousness increased when he saw Danny Phantom, who was shaking with rage and whose green eyes were turning slightly red, stood on his chest, aiming the Fenton Thermos straight in his face. Ghost Zone's greatest hunter suddenly became the hunted._

"_Why are you here?" He growled._

"_I told you, I came for the beast, and I notice you've been chasing it too." Skulker boasted. He once again got a gloved fist pounded into his cheek._

"_Listen Skulker and listen **well**," Danny warned, the scarlet that possessed his iris spread through his face and down his arm, until it surged into his ready-to-strike knuckles. "I am going to put you back into the Ghost Zone and that is where you are going to **stay**. And if I catch you going after that bear again I will rip you to **shreds**…"_

_He didn't wait for an answer, with little more than a thought and a twitch; he sucked up the ghost and clasped the modified thermos so tight he felt his fingers were going to burst. Eventually, he sighed and dropped down onto the grass, simply laying there in the peaceful night…_

_**END FLASHBACK**_

Skulker was more Ghost Zone's greatest pain in the backside, than he was a hunter – always showing up at wrong freaking time. Danny was _so _close to capturing that black bear it was almost unreal. However, before it cleared off, he was positive he'd seen a French plait that had been hand-braided into the fur on its back, tied neatly with a pair of blue hair scrunchies. That could only mean one thing.

The bear was not wild – it belonged to someone.

What ever happened to leash laws? Was the animal micro chipped? If it truly was a pet, the owner should've had an identity chip placed on it. If that was true, it meant Danny could catch the beast and use his parent's lab equipment to scan for such a chip… that is, unless the raging animal caught him first. In any case it didn't matter, the reason he wanted to ensnare the big ball of fur was so it couldn't hurt anyone else, after all the next person it attacked might be Sam.

He took off to get a bird's eye view, but even flying was painful. His legs ached and his back was sore from all the ducking and diving and general chasing activities. This time, he had only brought the Fenton Fisher. Yesterday and the day before he had the thermos, the fisher and the crammer – he learned the hard way that while being prepared was a wise idea, weighing himself down was _not_. He had to face facts, bringing three heavy pieces of weaponry was just dead weight and nothing more.

"I don't even know where it is!" He griped to himself as he flew over the park.

Lo and behold there it was - just like the other day - taking another drink, only this time its left paw was also in the water. He swooped down, silently landed roughly three feet away and tried to stay silent, and if another spirit showed up and wrecked _this _opportunity too, he was gonna go psycho on that unlucky someone.

Happily, no one did.

"I'm sorry, but this has to be done," Danny mumbled.

When the animal looked round, he immediately fired an ectoplasmic blast at it, knocking the creature sideways. So while it moaned in agony and tried to regain composure, Danny swiftly fired the Fenton Fisher. A glowing light blue rope shot out and coiled around its neck. Burning yellow eyes glared at him and it stood on its back paws, a gargantuan roar stabbed at his eardrums.

"HEEL!" He commanded, yanking on the rope so hard that the beast came crashing down.

A coarse cry of pain pulled Danny's heartstrings as it writhed in anguish. He knelt down beside it and warily patted its fur. More whimpers came as it rolled over onto its stomach and pleaded with him to loosen the tight hold of the resin-coated rope. It didn't take long for him to notice the laceration on the defeated critter. That cut had healed and reopened at least twice and had a scorch mark to boot; now he felt really bad.

"Aw jeez, I'm sorry," He apologised.

He really wanted to help the poor thing. After everything this beastly entity had done he should dispose of it while it was weak, but Danny wasn't the type to do that to an injured animal, no matter how badly behaved the animal was. A pair of rings circled his body and swished over him, restoring his human form. He dug into his pocket pulled out his cell phone and dialled his sister's number.

"Jazz? It's Danny… yes I know what time is… but you don't understand I… I'm at the park and I really need you to come get me… no, don't bring your car, use the Fenton RV… never mind why just _do it_!"

He hung up and gazed at the bear beside him. A cold wet feeling nipped at his arm – a rough yet soothing tongue licked his elbow. Such a sweet thing, yet so destructive and angry its eyes were losing colour. He stroked its warm furry head and scratched behind its ears. One more whimper tore at his insides when saffron eyes flickered and slowly closed…

Danny's alarm clock harshly woke him up at 7.30 AM… on a _Saturday _no less.

Memories of last night flooded his brain as he yawned and stretched his arms. He finally caught that black bear, but it was badly injured. The phone call to his sister rang in his mind when he reminded himself of her expression. Sat on the grass and stroking the fur of a big fluffy beast probably wasn't the way she expected to find him. Battered and bruised from a ghost fight perhaps, but this? Yeah, it kinda freaked her out.

Either way he was grateful when she helped the animal into the RV, and then to clean and dress the wound, even when the great beast got testy about the sting of the disinfectant - threatening to wake the entire neighbourhood by way of a massive growl - was going above and beyond sisterly duties. Mind you, said duties became a lot more intense at the point she discovered her baby brother had been endowed with the powers of a ghost, following an 'accident' over a year ago.

It was quite funny, going to sleep on the floor of the lab next to a bear. Like some giant stuffed animal that breathed heavily on his face and huge paws which could easily do some damage. To be perfectly honest, it comforted him with warmth he rarely felt unless he was with Sam. He was lost in a completely euphoric state that he didn't experience often enough.

He rubbed his eyes and took in his surroundings.

Ghost portal, laboratory table, spectral weapons, Sam… Wait… Sam? To his right, in the exact place where that black bear once lay, was a very pale, very _naked _Goth girl.

"Holy hell!" Danny pushed himself away until he hit the wall.

Suddenly he had developed problems breathing and started to hyperventilate. He couldn't stop shaking. His heartbeat was loud as it throbbed in the depths of his chest and his face was on fire. This was starting to look like the plot of a fantasy/romance Tokyopop Manga. What's the name of that one where that guy brings home a perso-something and she was pretty much naked? Chobits, right? Yeah, it was looking like that.

Sam had… you know, and… _wow_, those were nice…

Oh God what was he thinking? He really didn't need to see this, not yet… so why was it that he simply couldn't look away? His eyes caressed the taut pale flesh hugging her perfect hourglass body, and she had all the streamline sexiness of a brand new Lotus Elise with angel eyes headlights. Subconsciously she must've known she was exposed. Her arms crossed over her chest covering _something_, and her legs were pulled up against her waist covering _something else_.

A drop of blood hit the lino floor of his parent's lab. His finger was covered in red juice when he brushed it over his lip. Oh jeez! Damn nosebleed… this situation kept getting worse. How did she get here and _why for the love of heaven was she naked? _She definitely wouldn't just take her clothes off in front of him, she wasn't the exhibitionist type, and there was no _way_ she could've gotten in the basement, after all she had no reason to be there, unless…

"Oh no… No… It's just not possible…"

Then he sighted her left arm, it was bandaged up to the palm of her hand and her hair had been hand-braided into a French plait, tied neatly at the back with a pair of blue hair scrunchies. He didn't know how, or why, but all the evidence pointed to one conclusion - that his best friend was under some sort of curse that turned her into a foul-tempered black furred grizzly bear whenever she ate meat; leaving her as uncovered as the day God made her once she changed back.

It did sound farfetched that the grumpy creature which caused such a ruckus was in fact Sam disguised, but he had been made half ghost by a machine his parents built so they could contact the dead for crying out loud. Anything was plausible at this stage.

She stirred lightly. Danny froze.

_Oh crap…_

He was well and truly doomed if she couldn't remember anything from the past few days. Imagine waking up nude in some guy's basement after a five-day memory blank. It's pretty bad right? Now imagine that the guy was your best friend, and without warning you're looking at over a decade of friendship getting smeared all over the walls like pig's guts at an abattoir. Sam limply rose up, stretching her arms behind her back, inadvertently showing off a couple of things that were partially hidden earlier.

"Danny?"

"Y-yeah, it's me…" He replied, facing the other way.

She felt a chill streak through her skin and when she looked down at herself, it became apparent why he refused to look at her. The bandage on her arm was firm and neatly tied. She ran her hands over her hair and discovered the pattern of a loose weave. Her tone fell to a rabid disappointment.

"Why did you feed me that meatball?"

"I think another good question is why you didn't tell me about your 'allergic reaction' to meat."

"I didn't know it would happen again,"

"Again? You mean this has happened before?" Danny shouted, turning around to face her but turning right back when he remembered her unclothed status.

"As a child, I think I was about two, my Grandma gave me a piece of beef jerky because I was teething. Needless to say, the result wasn't pretty," Sam held herself, trying to cover up her insecurities. "At the risk of being thrown in the loony bin she never told my parents, but she traumatised me into never eating it again. She told me about my little problem at age eight when I started to question my vegetarianism. I don't know how or why, but meat messes with my D.N.A."

"I just wish you'd told me before, at least then you've got a good reason to tell me and Tucker to back off when we bug you," He hung his head in self-loathing.

Hesitant, but desperately wanting to make him feel better, she crawled over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Her head rested on top of his as she hugged him. She may have momentarily forgotten she was naked, but he certainly didn't. He felt her breasts pushing against him and blushed to the roots of his hair when it became painfully clear; the only thing between her lush bosom and his bare back was a thin cotton t-shirt. They were both so pre-occupied with each other that they didn't notice someone open the basement door.

"Hey Danny, just thought I'd- OH MY GOD!" Jazz screamed. Danny and Sam looked up at her innocently while she covered her eyes. "I don't wanna know, I don't wanna know, I don't…"

They heard her mutter when she blindly turned around and walked away. Blue eyes and blushing cheeks stared back at Sam, filled with major embarrassment.

"Um, maybe we should get you some clothes…"

* * *

**OK, it's weird I know, but I blame the anchovies on my pizza for this one XD**

**SS2K4**


	2. Saturday

**Saturday**

Danny placed a bowl of cereal in front of Sam and smiled. She now sat at the kitchen table in a pair of his blue jeans and a grey and white Terratag shirt that was way too big. It slipped down slightly to show off one of her smooth bare shoulder blades.

After his sister came into the basement and saw him with his nude best friend, she embarrassedly ran back to her bedroom where she remained, even as he came upstairs to get some clothes for Sam.

He perched himself in the vacant seat to her left, watching as she poked her breakfast with a spoon.

"Are you OK?" He slanted his head to look at her sideways.

She didn't answer.

"Woo hoo, Sammy?" He waved his hand in front of her face.

She shook herself awake and glanced up at him with glowing violet eyes. His heart wrenched at the sight of her china doll face, lost and confused and trying so hard to smile. She didn't want him to worry, but after what happened these past few days, how could she not worry herself at the same time?

Danny Fenton, her one secret love interest, had seen her completely naked; never before had she felt such embarrassment. She knew he was a decent boy and that he wouldn't try it on, even if a part of her _wanted _him to, but she couldn't help feeling the slightest bit violated.

On top of that, her mind was racked with flashbacks of the terrible things that she had done. What hurt the most was she knew that she'd taken a life. Poor Chelsea, her whole life ahead of her, doors would be opening all around her the second she graduated from Casper High.

And the Beast had taken that all away from her.

This was nobody's fault but Sam's, and it killed her inside to know that.

She pushed her bowl away and sprinted to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Jazz, still mortified by what she'd seen earlier, warily walked down the stairs to the sound of a girl making a regurgitated sacrifice to the porcelain god. Such a noise caused severe apprehension to build at the back of the red-head's mind.

"That better not be morning sickness I hear," She said as she joined her brother in the kitchen.

"I maybe sixteen but I'm not that stupid, and besides, you know I don't like Sam that way…"

"Oh sure…" She retorted. "So tell me why Sam was naked in the basement this morning."

"Remember the bear we captured yesterday?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"That bear was Sam…"

Jazz looked at him for a moment, before bursting into a rambunctious fit of disbelieving laughter. Her fingers curled around a glass of milk. She clutched her waist due to a lack of oxygen that caused a cramp in her stomach. Danny didn't understand what was so funny about what Sam was going through. He slammed his fist on the tabletop, putting a steady end to his sister's giggling.

"What is your problem?" He hissed.

"I'm sorry Danny, but it just doesn't sound possible."

"Oh, so it's physically possible for me to be half dead and have irregular DNA that changes me into a ghost," His angry tone turned slightly sarcastic. "But the concept of Sam having irregular DNA that changes her into a bear is just ridiculous, isn't it?"

"That's not what I –"

"Why is it if Sam gets sick it can't be a normal human illness that teenagers get all the time, no, it's 'Danny must've knocked her up'!"

"Danny listen –"

"No Jazz! Just no, OK? _You _listen; I'm tired of taking this crap! I have enough problems without you coming in here, and accusing me of getting my best friend pregnant, just because _you_ can't accept whatever's wrong with her is genetic! I care about Sam! I'd never be so unbelievably _stupid _as to ruin her life in the way everyone seems to think I will!" He stormed out of the kitchen and into the living room.

"Danny…" A quiet voice piped up.

He turned to the couch where Sam was sat looking down at the carpet. She heard him yelling at Jazz and for some reason felt guilty for their argument. Guilt, it appeared, was fast becoming her third best friend. Her insides snarled with fierce upset. She didn't look very well at all, even more pale than usual, and she held her stomach firmly.

"Are you feeling any better?" He kneeled before her and tilted her face to look straight at him.

"A bit…" Her eyes trailed along the edge of the coffee table. "I'm really sorry about all this; I'll just go and… I'll see you at school on Monday…"

"Sam, it's not your fault," He stopped her from getting up; he wasn't about to let her go anywhere alone in her state of mind. "Are your parents at home?"

She turned away and growled as her lilac eyes flashed yellow.

"Oh, I'll take that as a no then. You can stay here with me, or I'll stay there with you, but whatever happens, I don't want you to be alone right now." His tone was stern and forceful, but genuinely concerned.

"I'd prefer it if you came to stay at my place," She bit her lip and a strip of blush rushed to the bridge of her nose.

"Let me get some things together and we'll make a move." He got up and slowly ascended the staircase, shooting her a smile as he faded from sight.

Sam took this opportunity to see if Jazz was alright. Danny had been really harsh with her; he never used to be so irate and short-tempered. Something was definitely under his skin. Jazz was still in the kitchen with a cup of coffee in her hands.

From this angle she looked a lot like her mother, all she needed was to cut her hair and wear one of those blue and black jumpsuits and she'd be the spitting image of Maddie.

"Um, Jazz? Are you OK?"

"Oh, hey Sam, yeah I'm alright." She didn't even turn round.

"Danny didn't mean to get so angry with you, I don't even know what's going on with him and –"

"I _know_ what's going on with him…" Jazz interrupted.

"Really?" Sam wondered.

"He blames himself for this you know,"

"But why? He's not the one who messed up my DNA..." She was sincerely confused. What on earth gave her idea that Danny was the cause of this illness?

"No, not that, I mean _this_…"

She gestured to the bandage on Sam's wrist.

"Oh…"

"It's pretty obvious when you stop to think about it. He knows that if this 'transformation' of yours has happened once, it's going to happen again, and when it does he's worried he won't know how to handle it," Jazz raised the cup to her lips and sipped the hot drink. "He feels very strongly about you, but he doesn't know what to call it. He's having trouble dealing with emotions he didn't know he had, so he can't tell if it's a crush or love or lust or whatever."

"You think?" Sam went completely red in the face and looked down at the floor.

"Well it explains why he was so defensive if nothing else," She smiled. "Since he's looking after you this weekend – apparently – maybe you could get him to teach you how to control it. He learned to control his powers; chances are he could teach you a few things. After all, technically, I guess this makes you a Halfa."

Her heart danced with joy at the thought of being a hybrid. If she really was classified as a Halfa, it opened up a whole world of opportunities, not just to enforce her unique individuality, but also as a great reason to develop a closer level of friendship with Danny.

Part of her was very nervous though. She didn't know if he was staying at her place the whole weekend, or if it was just for today, but something inside her bubbled with worries of a dozen 'what if' questions.

What if she transformed again? What if he walked in on her while she was changing or getting out of the shower? What if… no, she couldn't even say it.

That particular question was far from appropriate - not that it mattered really.

By now, there wasn't much of her body that he hadn't already seen thanks to that damned episode in the basement this morning, though she prayed he didn't see the mark on her inner thigh – that was for her eyes only until she was prepared to show him.

When Sam finally broke free of her bizarre train of thought, Jazz had vacated the kitchen and a pair of bright blue eyes stared at her worriedly.

"Ahh!" She squealed.

The pure shock made her stumble backwards and she almost slipped… until Danny's reflexes proved quick enough to grasp her hand. She felt herself being pulled up close to him as he circled his arm around her waist; his fingers gripped her side to reassure her that she would not be dropped.

"Ready to go?" He smiled.

"Uh huh," Her face burned as she nodded.

"Great," He turned his back to her and crouched down. "Just put your arms around my neck,"

Confused, but not willing to argue, she knelt down behind him and did as he asked.

"Um, Danny, what are you do-AHH!" Sam shrieked and increased her hold on him when he swiftly stood up again. He slid his arms under her legs to support her and picked his bag up off the table. Still blushing red as a beacon, she eyed his grinning face nervously.

"Jeez, don't look so frightened. I've given you piggyback rides before,"

"I… I know, but It's not like I've hurt my leg or –"

"You haven't got any shoes on Sam, and I'm not letting you walk all the way back to your place in just your socks," He walked over to the front door, but she placed her hand on the frame to stop him from opening it.

"Danny, I'm serious, remember what I said about female independence? You really don't have to carry me everywhere, not to mention it would be easier if you flew."

"Sam, I know I don't have to carry you home, I **want **to carry you home. So just relax, it's only for about ten minutes and besides…" He paused for a moment and turned his head to look her straight in the eye. "…It's more fun this way."

She blinked. Her blush flared up even worse. She was so distracted by his soft tone and glittering sapphire eyes, that she subconsciously dropped the pressure she put on the door, and placed her arm round his neck again. She rested her head on his shoulder and tried not to look at his adorable expression of triumph.

He closed the door behind him and headed towards Sam's place. The softer parts of her anatomy were pressed so close to him once more, making his cheeks flush and his heart pound like crazy. Her delicate arms sweetly brushed across the skin on his neck, while strands of her raven hair licked his shoulder and made it hard to concentrate on where he was going.

He was enjoying this little excursion slightly more than he should have. It's not like it was the first time he'd ever carried her somewhere, he'd done it a few times in the past, but what with her recent illness, it felt rather nice that she was slightly reliant on him; made him feel connected to her in a totally personal way.

The atmosphere was so peaceful.

"Hey Fen-turd!"

So much for that…

"What d'ya want Dash?"

"I was gonna ask if your sister was home, but while I'm here I should ask why you're carrying Manson around," He smirked that stupid I-think-I'm-so-big smirk.

"She's not well; I offered to take her home,"

"Aww, lil baby Manson… wait, does that mean she stayed at your place last night?" Dash walked alongside them, sticking his nose in where it didn't belong.

"None of your business…" He snapped, all the while Sam remained silent.

"Oh ho, so you two are gettin' it on when school is out for the weekend, huh? Dude, that is so wrong! Man, Fenton I thought you at least had some taste…"

Danny could hear a quiet, low rumble of a snarl vibrate through her throat.

"Ooooh, she's getting pretty testy, maybe you ain't hittin' the right spot, Fentonio,"

Sam, whose lilac eyes now scorched intense yellow, released a thunderous bear growl from her fanged mouth. In one split-second motion, she hoisted herself up onto Danny's shoulders and took a swipe at Dash's face. After a sharp cry of pain, the blond boy glanced up, and ran his hand over his cheek. He saw the blood on his fingers… and that her nails were also lightly coated in blood.

"You bitch!"

She glared at him, her breathing now heavy and harsh, an angry snort emitting for each forced exhalation. Her raised position on the shoulders of her best friend, gave her a height advantage over the quarterback and she silently threatened to claw at him again, unintentionally digging the nails of her other hand into Danny's skin for stability. She almost looked like some kind of wild beast, unable to control her instincts.

"I'll get you for this Manson," He grumbled as he walked away.

With Dash gone, she finally calmed down.

"Sam, are you gonna be alright?"

Unfortunately, there was no answer. Her sudden burst of energy left her feeling slightly weak. Danny had a vague inkling that she wouldn't be able to stay upright for too long, and his intuition was correct. She swayed a little, left to right to left, slowly lost consciousness and fell into his waiting arms...

**

* * *

Aww poor Sammeh, what am I doing to her? Tsk tsk tsk….**

**I wasn't going to continue this fic – it was going to stay as a one shot – but then I got like the best idea ever!**

**Well, not really, but it is pretty good :3**

**SR x**


	3. Discovery

**Discovery**

"I don't know how you deal with being by yourself all the time," He muttered as the Manson place soon appeared on the horizon, glaring coldly down at him and his comatose familiar. "But that's why I'm here, isn't it?"

Danny shifted her slender body from the bridal position, lifting her featherweight form to lean on the right side of his chest. He cradled her like a child – one arm innocently supported her lower half and the other smoothly embraced her torso, lightly pressing her to him. The whole exercise proved difficult as he tried to keep the strap of his duffel bag from sliding down his arm at the same time.

"I hope you don't mind if I hold you like this," He tenderly grinned and rolled his eyes. She was still out like a light. "Oh right, of course not…"

Her hands draped freely over his shoulder blades, and silky black tendrils that came loose from the now slacken braid tickled his face. She subtly moaned. A chilled wisp of air curled across his neck and caused him to shiver. As he approached the front door he briefly looked around; just to be sure no one was watching. While Sam's neighbours usually kept to themselves, it might look suspicious if they happen to witness the boy who carried her home suddenly turn invisible.

Certain that the coast was clear, he used his intangibility to phase through the door. The first thing he noticed, as he restored his body to the human plane, was that the general mood of this building had been deeply immersed in coldness; a thick layer of disaffection that he'd never really noticed before. There was no denying it was a beautiful house, but it wasn't a loving home.

He held her closer for fears that the unfriendly vibes would consume her. Danny dropped his bag on the floor but kept a firm grip on Sam, stroking her hair as he took in the blatant disdain that filled the air. He sneered. What kind of parent would leave their child alone like this? OK, granted it's not like she was two years old or anything, but she was still young – only 16 – she still needed parental love and guidance.

No wonder she was so angry and rebellious – they'd leave her to her own devices for weeks at a time, and then on the rare occasions when they bothered to come home, they were incredibly overbearing, acting like the perfect parents they clearly weren't. Suddenly, he developed a new height of loathing for Pam and Jeremy Manson.

"Is that you, dearie?"

Sam's grandma scooted her way into the reception area. He smiled at the only Manson who bothered to love Sam for whom she was; the reason that she hadn't become one giant ball of anger.

"It's just me and Sam," Danny said.

A big beaming grin latched onto the elderly woman's face when she saw how Danny carried her granddaughter. It was so sweet how delicately he lulled her, treasuring her like a newborn infant.

"Aww look at you two," she cooed, causing Danny to blush. "Is she feeling better?"

"Yeah," He gently stroked her hair. "She was a bit sick earlier and she had a relapse on the way here, but I'm sure she'll be OK,"

"I'm sorry if she was any trouble, you could've brought her home last night,"

"Oh no, it was no problem at all, I love having Sam over," He looked at the woman as she fidgeted most nervously in her scooter. "I would've brought her back here, but when I found her… she was in bear form,"

Silence…

"It's alright; she told me everything this morning," Danny paused. "Y'know, about what happened when she was little…"

"I was hoping to scare her out of ever eating meat again," She sighed. "I tried to prevent this sort of thing, I really did, and I'm dreadfully sorry you had to see her that way…"

His blush, which previously only occupied the edge of his cheeks, now completely devoured the rest of his once pale face. He remembered how her fragile and arousing body was laid bare before him on the cold lino tiles of the basement. He wasn't sorry to see her – the very essence of perfection that is Sam was exquisite to say the least – even if it had been inexplicably embarrassing for them both.

"Um… is it alright if I stay here for a couple of days? Just to make sure she gets better…"

"Of course, make yourself at home and if you need anything don't hesitate to ask – we've got half a dozen maids flying about this place…" She honked the mini horn on her scooter and slowly drove away.

Danny felt his sleeping passenger stir; Sam's entire body tensed up as she slowly awoke and wearily stretched her limbs. Her arms wrapped tighter around his neck and one of her bootless feet grazed over his left thigh. The tingly sensation, caused by her leisurely inhalation of his scent, was nothing less than chilling and he resisted the urge to shiver.

"Mmm… so nice…"

"Uh, Sam…"

"Oh… Danny…" She mumbled. _OMG… Danny!!_

Her eyes shot open when she realised who was carrying her. She cried out in shock and pushed herself away, unaware that he kept firm hold of her lower half. The sudden force almost caused her to fall out of his embrace, but again his quick reflexes allowed him to swiftly catch her, securely pressing her body to his chest. His heartbeat drummed so wildly inside him, that she could feel it pounding on her cheek.

"Whoa, be careful," He soothed, patting her back.

"D-Danny, you can put me down now…"

"Are you sure? I don't want you falling over as soon as I let go."

"Yes, I'm not made of glass, you know," She lightly jested.

"OK…" His doubtful tone rang out clearly as he steadily loosened his grip.

The instant he let her resume a standing position on her own, she swayed and stumbled, almost falling flat on her face if not for his swift reflexes kicking in once more. She grinned sheepishly up at him from the 'oh-so-helpless' stance she'd ended up in. Her knees were shaking slightly at the feel of his strong, yet slender arms wrapping tighter around her waist.

"You see? This is what I was talking about; you're not still not well enough, Sam," Danny scolded and lifted her up again, leaning her minimal weight on his chest as he'd done before. "When you can prove to me that you're able to stand by yourself, I'll put you down, until then you're staying right there!"

"Don't treat me like a child, Danny," She growled.

"I'm… I'm sorry," He quickly looked away – he didn't want Sam to see the anxiety building in his eyes.

But she did.

"You're worrying about something, aren't you?"

He didn't answer.

"I know when something's bothering you, please tell me," Her delicate voice pleaded with him.

Again, no answer came.

"Danny…"

His shaky hands held her as close as possible while she watched his troubled expression quietly. The deep strides he took as he carried her upstairs gently rocked her body into a calming silence. With her head rested in the crook of his neck, she could hear his light breathing. His sturdy arms - that cradled her so carefully - were reassuringly warm, and reminded her of the large black raven plushie who silently comforted her on stormy nights.

_I just don't want you to get hurt anymore…_

Sam's drowsiness instantly disappeared.

"What did you say?"

"I didn't say anything,"

She knew she wasn't crazy, she heard what he said; loud and clear. Danny's manic-depressive behaviour was baffling to say the least, one minute he was being light-heartedly protective and the next he had become serious and angsty. It appeared to be a classic sign of Bi-Polar Disorder, but even so his mood wouldn't change in a matter of minutes. Over a period of weeks – or even days – would be plausible. So focused on whether or not she was hearing things, that she didn't notice Danny set her down on the bed and walk into her en-suite bathroom.

He soon came back with a few items from the medicine cabinet, and Sam was still off in her own little world, completely oblivious to his return, even when he gently lifted her arm and took the worn bandage off. He frowned at the singe mark that stretched over the topside of her wrist; yes, it was healing, but it didn't make him feel any less guilty. After all, that wound was entirely his doing. No matter how hard he tried to remind himself that at the time he didn't know it was Sam, it still tore up his insides to know that he'd hurt her.

"Hey Sam… are you there?" He jokingly asked, softly rubbing a soothing cream over the damaged skin on her arm.

His question went unanswered.

"Sam?"

He looked up at her briefly before firmly tying on a fresh bandage. Her eyes were glassy and unfocused. With a weary shake of his head, he sat next to her and waved a hand in front of her line of sight. Still he got no reaction at all. He poked her sides gently, shook her shoulders and tugged on the oversized grey shirt he had lent her. She was completely comatose. So he decided to try something else; something that _always _got her attention.

"Samantha?"

The glassiness of her eyes was shattered by furious saffron as she turned to claw his face. A vicious and beastly roar escaped her as her nails dug into his skin, slapping his face to the side. She got onto her knees and reared up, snarling at him angrily… until he turned back to look at her with saddened baby blue orbs. He saw her face fall, and the livid yellow faded to peaceful violet. She blinked and rapidly shook her head, as if returning to consciousness for the first time. Slowly, she crept forward and noticed four thin red lines embedded in his cheek; sore and bleeding faintly.

Her lower lip trembled and she reached out to touch the raw scratch marks, watching him wince slightly as her fingertips grazed the jagged cuts. She sobbed out what he assumed was a muffled apology as she threw herself at him. Now pinned to the bed, Danny could feel Sam cling to him, nuzzling into his chest and whimpering loudly. He was now completely stupefied. What the hell was wrong with her? She'd never do anything like this normally – her Goth indifference just wouldn't allow it – so what changed exactly?

Oh yeah…

The meat thing…

_Why did I feed her that meatball? It was __only meant as a joke; just to see how she'd react, but look what it's done to her…_

"Please calm down, Sammy," He guiltily rubbed her back.

"I'm sorry!!!" She squealed through a river of tears.

"Sam! Look at me!" He managed to pry her off of him and pull himself up, sitting her in his lap and grabbing her by the shoulders. "You have _nothing _to apologise for! It's _my_ fault that your condition has flared up like this; you didn't do anything wrong!"

"But –"

"No!" This time it was Danny's turn to do the clinging as he wrapped his arms around her and enveloped her in a tight hug. "I will not let you blame yourself for anything that has happened, Sam, or anything that may happen in future, do you understand?"

She remained silent. There was no way she could answer that. Eventually she would be to blame for something; he could not shield her from fault all her life, but for now, he was here to help and protect her. His body was so warm and lined with the distinctive scent of amber and musk. She could feel his arms shaking as he held her for all he was worth.

"What am I gonna do, Danny?" She fearfully stated, clutching his shirt in her right hand. "My parents will be home any day now, and I can't keep a secret this big from them."

"Don't you worry about that, we'll figure something out, for now you just concentrate on getting better before school on Monday. Last thing we need is you Goin' Grizzly in the middle of English lit, eh?" He chuckled, gently rocking her back and forth.

"OK," She mumbled, half smiling.

Looking over her shoulder, he saw the effect of her feral transformation in full view. Her sleepwear had been torn to shreds and tossed haphazardly on the floor. Her chest of drawers had been turned on its side and pretty much emptied of all its contents. If it wasn't for the quintet of claw marks tearing the black paint off the walls, and the crimson lace curtains crudely torn from the pole above the large windows, he could've sworn she'd been burgled. It was a wonder that the bed they were sitting on had survived when the rest of the room had been well and truly beaten.

"Wow Sam, you really tore this place up pretty good, huh?"

She pulled away from him slowly and looked around the room. Her bedroom had always been typically disorganized – clothes and CD's and magazines scattered about – but compared to her usual level of chaos, this was absolutely horrendous. Sam got up from Danny's lap and began picking up mounds of plushie stuffing and the shredded fabric that once held the shape of her beloved Raven. She collected the clothes that had been tossed from the dresser drawers and piled them against one of the damaged walls.

Danny soon moved over to the mahogany chest of drawers and proceeded to lift it. Well, struggled to lift it anyway, until Sam (who happened to have one of those soft, almost pitiful smiles on her face) decided to help him, even if it damaged his ego she wouldn't let him physically injure himself. With the large piece of furniture now upright, Sam walked over to pick up the shredded curtains and just as Danny decided to follow her, something caught his eye.

He did a double take and knelt down to investigate further.

An aged black velvet book with a vaguely rusted golden lock lay battered and torn and slightly blood stained on the floor.

He picked it up. If not for the lock he might have been tempted to read it, but goodness only know what it was. It could've been Sam's diary, even though the book looked far too old to be filled with recent thoughts and feelings.

"Danny?"

He jumped and nearly dropped the book.

"Hey Sam," He said quite casually.

"Where did you find my Grandma's journal?"

"Over there by the…" Danny froze and glanced at Sam. "Hang on, if this is your Grandma's journal, why do you have it?"

"She gave it to me," Sam nervously rubbed her bandaged arm, peering at Danny with uncertain eyes. "It's the journal she started shortly after my very first transformation…"

* * *

**Oooooh, so Grandma Manson documented Sam's first transformation O.O We'll investigate a few pages of the journal in the next chapter.**

**And I'm sorry it took me so long to update it.**

**Keep an eye out on my other fics which will also be updated soon. Hopefully. **


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